


Fire at the Heart of the World

by sebastianathefirst



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Abandonment, Ballet, Canon Compliant, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2019-07-15 01:24:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16052567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebastianathefirst/pseuds/sebastianathefirst
Summary: She lived with Sora and Riku on Destiny Islands, until...she vanished. Riku grows up dreaming the world to find her, and she, Mickey's new ward, searches for a way to return to him.Written in short fics, rather than a beginning-to-end format.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yes!! Finally got this out! It took a lot of courage and a lot of counsel from friends who've previously known my character, Hono, and from the Ignis Discord group! It helps _very much_ that Mamoru Miyano voices both Iggy and Riku.
> 
> Because this began as my own writing exercises, I wrote this romance by captured scenes instead of dictating it from beginning to end. I've got several of them ready for updating, and to keep the story as linear as possible. I hope that whoever reads this humble collection will find it satisfactory, and that people who already love Hono will recognize her and join me in manifesting a character so near and dear to my heart.
> 
> Happy reading!

The cockpit of the gummi ship was quiet, despite the clamor outside. And further from the castle, the small kingdom was asleep, a picture of total peace.

Mickey had not given the order to set off yet, and he wondered if he should install more armor, in case they flew in a space besieged by the Heartless. There was only one destination, but he can’t be too careful. 

Never, with his ward.

The king looked to her now, who took no notice. Her fingers were preoccupied with the wrap of her weapon's guard, shaped like a yellow star. “Kiddo,” he started, in that voice he'd honed as he raised her. “It's really dangerous where we're going. Are you  _ absolutely _ sure you're up for it?”

The girl's fingers paused, and moments later she looked up to the king, and erased her solemn look with a beam. “I can fight, Your Majesty. I can help with the mission.”

Mickey hopped off his seat, walked to her side, and placed his hand on top of hers. “I don’t doubt it. But remember, this isn’t just about that. I promised I’d look out for you until we get to your home world.”

She nodded. “And I'll guard you with everything I've got.” 

“Hono…”

Mickey twitched, and grit his teeth a little behind his smile. He examined her pale face, framed by her pink helm, yet saw no hesitation or fear.  _ Naivete _ , he could describe, but if that were the case, then this—diving into the Realm of Darkness—was the best way for her to experience what was beyond castle, and for him to continue his supervision.

He offered a prayer that she may never come to harm.  _ I’ll get this mission done, and I’ll take her home. _

* * *

 

Riku couldn't count the number of times he stood before the door framed in gold. Couldn't count the number of times he wished he could open it. The number of times he tried.

It was always in the back of his mind as he built the raft with Sora and Kairi, that maybe they shouldn't leave their island by sailing, but by  _ excavating _ . That maybe, they had to leave through this door in the Secret Place.

“That's how Hono managed to leave,” he would rationalize. “There was no raft to take her away then.” Nobody was convinced.

He would have to thank his friends for indulging his desire to leave, and for creating goals of their own as they grew older. He repaid them by waiting for their resolve to strengthen, when he would've left on his own a long time ago. And he would imagine Hono growing taller and longer with each year, and the face she’d make once he’d finally caught up with her.

He sat on his haunches, and placed a palm flat against the door. He noticed the paopu that Sora had newly etched on the nearby wall, leading to Kairi, and snickered before proceeding with his ritual. He would come here, every anniversary of the last night he and Hono were together.

The last night he saw her smile, and heard her laughs, and watched her sweep the beach sand as she danced on her toes.

He pulled the penned letter from his pocket. Bending his hips to row to the island crumpled the paper somewhat, but his writing was legible when he fanned it open to review. Jaw clenched, he read his own words on the stationery. It would be the last letter he would send through this door, he’d written, and made sure his reasons were clear. He wasn’t going to give up; far from it. Maybe there would be a better way of correspondence in the worlds beyond.

“I'm going to find you, ” he read one of his sentences aloud, and felt his face scrunch in pain. He never should've  _ had _ to find her, to chase after her. They were supposed to leave the islands together. Why would she break such a promise, steal his dream from his hands?

_ Why would she abandon him? _

He inhaled sharply, recalling what the adults said over the years: they didn't know, so they cannot make conclusions. Neither of their parents were aware of any escape plan, but Hono’s disappearance had pulled the town of a lull. It was easy to suspect, that as the mayor’s daughter, someone had taken her for ransom, but her kidnappers were so skilled that there were no leads. Scouring the islands with search parties yielded nothing.

Then, Kairi came, and the rumor spread that she was compensation for whisking Hono away. That planted the pain firm in his heart:  _ she was alive, but in another world, and she left him behind. _ Eventually, the door in the Secret Place began to symbolize that for him, and, after a few months of beating and screaming against it, he began slipping letters. Secret correspondence between closed doors, as if Hono was just beyond, too upset or angry to come out. Why else would she have left without him?

Every year, he wrote of the life he led on the islands. Of Sora and Kairi. And always, the same questions. 

_ Where are you? _

_ Are you safe? _

_ Why did you leave? _

_ Can you forgive me? _

But now, it was the eve of his own voyage, sending this last message felt like the most important one he’d ever send. So he adjusted accordingly, and added a promise.

A warning.

“I'll never stop finding you,” he said quietly.

He slipped the paper through the space beneath the door.

And then, with a flash of lightning, it opened.


	2. Chapter 2

Hono had always imagined returning to her island, landing on its immaculate shores and reuniting first with her parents, and then the boys she spent her time with on their playground. That after tears and long embraces, she'd promise to never leave home again.

But seeing that home vanish into white walls, and those very boys standing in front of her, tore that fantasy to shreds. Memories of them flooded her, and for the first time in nearly a decade, she could remember more than their names and faces. Their rivalry, their trust…

_ Since when did Sora wield a Keyblade? _

He was looking at her, too, puffing with heavy breaths, and like he  _ knew _ her just as well. His hair had grown longer and thicker, and his eyes were as bright in the dark as they were in her dreams, stars to guide her, reminding her that home that she was spirited from.

“Riku,” she gasped; she barely got his name out before her throat constricted.

He gulped visibly in response, before shuddering. “You remember.” 

But he wasn't acting like the strong, daring boy that she remembered. He was instead staring at her with shock and disbelief, even pain.

She began to approach him, and he neither moved nor recoiled. “I searched everywhere. All this time, I was looking for a way home. When I saw it here—”

“—I made it out. So did Sora and Kairi. It’s all my fault, I wanted to—”

She reached for his arm, and the both of them sank to their knees. She could feel him trembling against her fingertips, and his hands were like lead against her shoulders. 

He was  _ beautiful _ , even when his breath came out in rasps.

“Hono...I...I…”

“You have to get out,” she cut him, “there’s still time, you have to—”

“Hono!” Something crashed into her before she could look, a tiny body that could only be the king’s. She rolled onto her stomach, and she couldn’t tell if her eyes were open or shut.

The blackness was the same.

* * *

 

“Wait!”

She had run several floors down before catching up with him.  The boy stopped in his pace, but didn't turn to face her. “Go back to Sora,” he said. “Don’t come after me. I’m leaving you guys alone.” 

Yet he didn't resume his walk, allowing her to stride by him. She waited for his eyes to meet hers, before explaining, “We didn't have a proper goodbye back there.”

The replica held his breath, trying one more time to remember this girl’s black hair, how it curled around her face and framed her cheeks, before cascading down her back.

“... I'm an imitation. Not the real Riku. I don't even have his memories of you. So, not even a perfect copy.” He averted his eyes, and bit his cheek. “Look, what I'm trying to say is—”

“Why does that matter?” Hono shrugged, taking a step closer to the replica. “I'm still glad I met you, and I wanted to wish you the best before I left. That's what a goodbye is.”

The replica rubbed his nape, conceding to the strange girl’s wishes. If talking to a fake like him made her happy...well.

“Uh...okay. So if it's just that…”

He paused, before shooting him most confident grin he could muster. “I guess this is how  _ he'd _ look when he sends you off.”

“What about you?”

A beat.

“I got a feeling this suits me, too.”

She gave him a dazzling beam, like it was a reward for his sincerity. “Alright, so I can say goodbye with this!”

Tipping forward, she closed her eyes, and placed her lips against the replica’s cheekbone.

“Huh?”

She lingered for a few seconds, and he was stunned and blushing to his ears when she pulled away.

But she couldn’t seem to look at him directly, either. “That talk about the chain of memories got me thinking. If I gave you a real memory, and shared my real feelings, then maybe...you'd become part of my heart. So you won't disappear.”

_ Her heart. _

The replica brought a hand to his warm cheek.

It would be welcome a place as he’ll ever be. It'd be a good taunt for the real Riku, too.

"She gave me her first kiss."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always been frustrated with the idea of having to commit hours and hours and hours into a craft, to get good at it. It makes me feel pressed for time, or that I don't have anything that I love that I would spend so much time on, which in turn makes me feel...listless and hollow and cold and not knowing what I'm living for. It's a very uncomfortable state.
> 
> And so, I did my best to stop whining and just push out a little bit every day, because I love Riku and I love Hono, and I love to share the story I've made about them. And if I wanna get better at telling their story, putting it off is not the way to go. I'm gonna have to learn that over and over again.
> 
> On that note, this takes place during the latter half of 358/2. Happy reading!

Hono yelled and brought her full weight into her swing, cutting the final Heartless in two.

_“What are you doing?!”_

She froze at the voice, and turned to find Riku speeding over to her. He had his blindfold on, and his cloak was stark against the glow of Twilight Town.

“They could've taken your heart!” he admonished, and snatched her arm. “C'mon, we're going back to the mansion.”

“Riku...were you following?”

None but the King knew where she was, and pondering as to how Riku found out and how long he'd been watching, her made her stomach both heavy and hollow. Above confusion and even _nostalgia_ for their childhood habits rose something akin to unease, and she yanked her hand away from his grip.

“I appreciate the gesture, but I can protect myself.”

But her tone reminded her that pretty much _everything_ about the situation made her uneasy, and why she had to escape the mansion when she could.

From that place, and the man that dashed her dreams of reuniting with her friends.

“Where were you going?” Riku asked her.

His black garments reminded her of how he was working for that wretched DiZ, because Sora needed to wake from his sleep. And when she learned what DiZ did to him at the castle, her blame turned to loathing. Robbed of her hopes and unable to return home or be with her friends, Hono had even begun to entertain what was once an inconceivable prospect: remaining in King Mickey's service. And until he finished reporting to Yen Sid, she needed to hold out, keep her sanity in line, find a place in town away from the mansion.

But now, Riku seemed to prevent that. His posture was tall and broad, as if to catch her in case she ran, to envelope her in his darkness. Trap her in DiZ's scheme.

“If I had a choice…”

Hono looked away from him, and her dark hair concealed him from her view. Nevertheless, she could feel him hanging onto her words. “If I had a choice...I would never go back to that place. We—”

She heard a shudder, and his voice was hoarse.

“Would you leave me and Sora again?”

She blinked.

_What?_

“No!” Anger and shock elded inside Hono as she uttered the same words over and over. “Riku, no! _No_!”

But he only tensed further, until she was sure he had rooted himself into the brick. He was too close, as if to trap her with the truth in her heart.

How badly she wanted to return to the safety of the King.

To run. To feel like herself again.

Hono gripped her naginata a little tighter as she remembered, at that moment, that she had never once succeeded at hiding anything from this boy. Especially not now, with his features more defined and more intense. She’d seen many men, many princes, in her travels, but no one of them was as handsome as R—

“That man,” she choked out to suppress what she could of her blush. “...DiZ. His stench, his hate. It's seeped into the whole mansion. I couldn’t stomach it, I...I thought...I…”

_That I could escape it. That I had to._

But then, he’d never forgive her.

Shame demanded that Hono dip her head, when a hand caught her jaw. Her skin tingled against the calluses of Riku’s palm, when she realized.

_Riku’s palm?_

“Hono...”

Gloveless, tilting her head up, sliding to her cheek and into the heavy locks of her hair.

Pulling her to his chest, bringing her head over his shoulder.

“Riku—”

“I’ll protect you.” His head shifted, and his lips were upon her ear. “I’ll protect you this time, from anything that would hurt you. So you won’t have to run away again. Just give me a chance.”

The total darkness of the islands, where no lights were installed. The abyss that the sea transformed into, that no moonlight or starlight could disturb.

Even Riku's darkness reminded her of home.

Darkness that promised dawn, and triumph, and she ended up being the one embracing it instead.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, one and all! We now exist in a reality where Kingdom Hearts 3 comes out in _less than a month_. This year is made for us, guys!
> 
> This story ended up being longer than I expected, and I agonized over the lengthier one for a long time. I fear all the time that I lack the skill to convey emotions in my writing, but I promise that I wrangle with myself to do my best with this pairing.
> 
> This story occurs some days before Kingdom Hearts 2. Happy reading!

“Go to her,” said Naminè.

Mickey had come for Hono. _He_ knew what it meant. _He_ knew who called for him. Demanded an explanation, and maybe to be taken away.

“I had to do it for Sora,” _he_ replied, his voice thick. “And I'd do it again for _her,_  if she ended up the same way. Both of them, I…”

“Go,” repeated Naminè.

It had been three days since Riku returned with Roxas. Returned as Ansem.

 

He found the both of them in Hono’s designated room, sitting at the foot of the bed...Or rather, Mickey was seated, and Hono’s head was on his lap. He didn’t grimace at the sight of Riku— _Ansem_ —but simply put a finger to his lips. His other hand was petting Hono’s hair, smoothing out the wrinkles on her crown of black velvet.

Riku knelt towards them, and peered into Hono’s sleeping face. Her eyelids were swollen, and her nose was tinged with red. The sight made him clench his jaw.

“... She'll be thirsty when she wakes up.”

Maybe he could use the water as a peace offering, an apology for making her cry this much.

Mickey nodded knowingly.

In gradually accepting that everything was connected, Riku no longer took Hono's stay with the king as coincidence. In many ways he was grateful, yet he caught flashes of resentment as well. He could have been the one to watch and care for Hono, and Mickey stole that privilege from him.

A more haunting thought followed: _she_ was his, just as the Keyblade should’ve been his. And he loathed to share.

Mickey finally spoke, “Watch over Sora. I’m taking Hono with me.”

Riku sucked a breath.

“Not for good,” he assured, “I just need the extra hand, and she already said yes.”

But neither was he asking for permission.

 

 

He caught her hand as it drew near.  
  
“No.”  
  
_Don't touch me._  
  
Hono used her other hand, and he caught that as well. Her jerking earned a wince as he clamped her wrists.  
  
“Riku—”  
  
“I don't want you to see me like this.”  
  
_Don't look at me. Don't remember me like this._  
  
She hissed at that.

Riku found her eyes through the dimness of his hood; they glowed with a defiance that, he was certain now, had never left her. It had led to several bouts of bickering in their youth, and to him hoping that she'd outgrow it. Hoping that she would just trust him, like Sora did.  
  
But her spirit of protest was the first thing he missed when she disappeared. He quickly realized that without her, there was no one to fine-tune his decisions, to pay attention to the details he'd missed, or even to argue for their safety. Sora relied on him too much to offer any input, willing to see any of his ideas through.

And Kairi...Kairi was no substitute. A lost girl in a strange world, she was eager to please her new community.  
  
But this choice was one Riku had made long ago, for reasons of his own. And Hono had to simply...leave it at that.  
  
“If this is what Sora needs—”  
  
“Sora needs his best friend!” He could feel her bristling. “He needs _you_!”  
  
He was too proud to see it before, but her judgment was always right. Riku bowed his head in apology, when he heard a sniffle. It startled him enough to loosen his hold, and Hono pulled her hands to her face. With tears choking her throat, her voice came out as a whine, and he nearly missed her words.

“You're _my_ best friend. _I_ need you.”

Riku found himself marveling at the sight. She must've had cried, too, after leaving the islands. And unlike him, she had no friends or family to console her, not for a very long time. For a split second, he realized her loneliness, and allowed regret to flood inside him.  
  
“Hono…”  
  
_I swore I'd protect you._  
  
But she was hasty and frantic in scrubbing her face, in hiding what vulnerability that escaped her. He watched in silence, observing how she mustered her strength to speak again. How she composed herself for him.  
  
"...I'm leaving with His Majesty before the Organization finds the mansion.” Her voice was level again. “We have a mission of our own, but we'll monitor Sora whenever we can.”  
  
His nod was stiff.

“Mickey will keep you safe.”  
  
_And if protecting you means I have to send you away myself, I’ll do it._  
  
He paused, before lowering to his knees and catching her shoulders. He had a better look of her wet, messy face this way.

“...Staying with me would only put you in more danger.”  
  
_Please, go. Go. Don't make me let you go._  
  
He watched her chest expand as she took in a breath.

“I know.”  
  
He couldn’t take her hands again, to feel her touch before she left. It reminded him too much of the last time he saw her before she'd disappeared. Neither did he feel that he had the right, now.

However, he dared to move his thumbs across her cheeks, and wipe her tears away.

Supposedly, Hono had been fighting long before he'd picked up a Keyblade, and Riku had no doubts about her strength. Yet it frightened him how soft she remained, as far as her face, hair, and skin were concerned. Her back bending, her legs stretching, even her movements were soft and graceful, better than in his dreams, his memories. Even her sadness was a vision that exceeded his expectations.

But for this entire year, she stood by his side not as a dream, or a memory, or an expectation, and it took him just as long to name his feelings.

If she’s to be the greatest beauty that he could ever behold, then he couldn't let the Organization near it, nor let the darkness sully it. Especially not the darkness that took residence in his own heart.

  
“Hono,” he muttered under his breath, with a clear recognition of how precious she had always been, always was, and ever will be to him.  
  
_I don't deserve you._  
  
"Riku...I don't deserve you."  
  
He froze.

“I thought you hated me,” she continued, “for leaving you, or that you’d forget about me when I got back. But...the king said you used the darkness to escape, to come after me. When I saw the islands, our home, in the Realm of Darkness, I knew it was true. It wouldn’t have been destroyed if you...if _I_...”

The attempt to blame herself was enough.

He surged forward and pried her hands from her face, and this time, she didn’t struggle. But, the tears were fresh in her eyes again.

“...I couldn't ask you to forgive me, no matter how badly I wanted you to. So...when you asked me to stay, and when you spoke to me, and when you worried after me, I was really…”

When Hono could say no more, she offered a wet, crooked smile.

Riku took it in for several seconds before pulling her to his chest and winding his arms round her waist. It was followed by a peculiar moment where he _thanked_ Ansem for his height, that being taller allowed him to nestle her head closer to his heart.

Where she would be, from now on.

“Of course I asked you to stay,” he said, bracing against her quivers. “You're my best friend, too.”

_I could never hate you. I could never forget you. I can't lose you again. I can’t._

He felt her arms squeezing, and took a second to marvel at her strength.

“I'll come back,” Hono breathed, looking up to him. There was a new glint behind her reddened eyes, something Riku saw more and more often. “I promise, I _promise_ I will!”

_Stay. Stay. I need you to stay. I need you…because..._

…

He could kiss her then and there.

Instead, he caressed her cheek until her smile, the utter radiance of it, peeked through her tear-streaked face.

She was so beautiful, Riku knew, even when she cried.

“I believe you.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is the first chapter I've released post Kingdom Hearts! And it looks very odd that we have this new lore, and this new treasure trove of inspiration, and this is exactly when my writing slows down. To be honest though, I had to rumble with my emotions a fair bit. I love soriku, and sorikai, and all other pairings including Riku, and that's mixed with a touch of...sadness, that my hopes for this pairing can only go so far. I have to fight this thought that Riku and Hono is not as celebrated, let alone welcome, in the fandom, even though it's not true. And that killed the fun of writing a little bit.
> 
> I'll be working through these feelings as I keep updating the fic. Feedback is greatly appreciated, as well!
> 
> There is a part in the fic that includes a dance move, so [here's a video](https://youtube.com/59bVZvjt1NU) for reference.
> 
> Happy reading!

She walked into Donald and Goofy greeting their king, and Sora noticed her the same moment she did him. All he needed was one look. To see if she had the same face. The same eyes.

He ran up, and stared at her for several long moments, until his face radiated.

"Miss Hono!" Goofy beat Sora to it, and launched himself against her. Hono fell back, and nearly hit her head against piping of the castle's underground. "Aw, everyone's so worried!"

She glanced at Sora's perplexed (and disappointed) face before returning Goofy's embrace. "I've missed you too, Captain."

"You've gotten taller again!" Donald chuckled besided her.

"I have, Master Donald," she gasped as Goofy released her. "If you would put in a word with Lady Daisy? I hope she can find something before for me to... fit..."

She looked to Sora again, and it hit her that she didn't need to return to Disney Town again. Her plans were delayed long enough. This time, she really could go home.

"Sora—"

He gave a wail of glee as he threw his arms around her neck. "Hono! Hono, it's really you!"

She could feel his joy seeping into her skin, untainted by the new enemies he invited by becoming a Keyblade wielder. Guarding his sleep was almost worth the effort.

"Nobody knew what happened to you," he said, "our dads combed the island. Riku wanted us to leave our home to find you! And we did! We really did! I can tell him you're safe once I find him!"

A pang.

Riku made him promise to hide the truth.

Still, she grinned. Still, she had something to share.

"This isn't the first time we've met, Sora."

 

 

He'd watched Hono dance several times, before she'd disappeared. She would even ask him to find spots with soil and grass to practice, for when she couldn't keept her toes pointed in the sand. She always wore sundresses, then, too, and the wind would whip at her skirts, making her look like a flower in bloom as she kicked or spun.

It was what she did, when all the other boys took up weapons. Except, they did it for fun while Hono had been fighting to live. So Riku couldn't mask his horror when Hono cast her naginata and armor aside, while Mickey witdrew to the edges of the fight.

He was about to jump from his vantage point when suddenly, her skirt began to lengthen, and dye itself an eerie crimson. She looked like she was wearing a dress now, and as the Heartless and Nobodies swarmed to her, Mickey pulled out a book, music spilled across the rockface.

The sound of violins and claps filled the air, and Hono began to twirl, and twirl and twirl and twirl. Balancing firmly on one toe, she kicked back on her other foot to spin in a straight line. Fire burst around her in pillars, and the color of her dress made her look like part of the blaze herself. And Mickey simply grinned as he waved his Keyblade, seemingly guiding the music, leading their duet.

How could Riku forget her smile, and forget how happy she was when she danced? The exhilaration on her face now was unmistakable, and for a moment he thought the heat of the fire magic reached his cheeks.

He'd watch her forever, if the spell hadn't ended, and her naginata was back in her hands, and Mickey was back on the field, taking out stragglers.

Riku hastily pulled away, and whisked through the crags of Hollow Bastion to clear what manner of foe he crossed.

He had to, if he wanted her to dance again. Dance for him?

His heart thumped in his ears.


End file.
